Posted on 04/01/2015 2:36:25 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
A pizza parlour that said it will use Indiana's heavily-criticized new religious freedom law to deny services to same-sex couples provoked a massive backlash across the Internet on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Indiana's Republican governor Mike Pence responded Tuesday to national outrage over the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, by saying he'll "fix" the bill to ensure businesses cannot use the law to deny services to the LGBTQ community.
But, not before Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana, chimed in.
"If a gay couple came in and wanted us to provide pizzas for their wedding, we would have to say no," owner Crystal O'Connor told ABC 57 News on Tuesday.
"We are a Christian establishment," she said of the family business. "We're not discriminating against anyone, that's just our belief and anyone has the right to believe in anything."
The O'Connors didn't stop there.
"That lifestyle is something they choose. I choose to be heterosexual. They choose to be homosexual," said Kevin O'Connor, Crystal's father.
The reaction on the web was quick and almost universally negative.
Before their story made the news Tuesday night, the O'Connors' restaurant had two reviews on Yelp. By Wednesday afternoon, it had 1,400 and counting – almost 35 pages worth.
"Pizza is universal and you have disgraced its glorious name with your bigotry," one of them read.
"I'm ANGRY and will never order pizza from these people again because they're simply not discriminatory enough! I mean, just 'gays'? What about anyone who works on Sundays?" joked another.
The hits just kept coming.
But, others supported the owners for standing up for their rights and their religious views. About three pages of the more than 30 pages of reviews supported the stance.
Not to mention the obvious question, do a lot of people serve pizza at their wedding?
The response on Google reviews was much the same.
Someone also registered memoriespizza.com, which the owner's of the establishment had not done yet, and filled it with some graphic, and phallic, visual criticism.
The restaurant's Facebook page has been hit with a similar barrage of graphic imagery and angry comments.
The Internet backlash comes after many companies and entertainers vowed to boycott Indiana as a result of the new legislation. Now it seems businesses that attempt to make use of the law in Indiana may face boycotts of their own
This is just simply the internet-age equivalent of mob rule. Nothing more, nothing less.
Homosexuals are going after any Christian business and then looking to close them down.
This is s witch hunt, a lynch mob with pitch forks and the media are helping them.
Why don’t do go after muslim business, Orthodox Jewish business, Hindu businesses?
No because this is a war against Christians
Some might consider that ironic as cyber bullying is another one of the left's phony concerns.
Better not mess with the Homonazis. It’s better to just keep your mouth shut. Homos have made HATE their SPECIALTY. They are the Mothers of All Haters.
go after not do after.
Those ten “guys” on the ‘net are sure gonna be busy.
These morons dont get that YELP is not facebook...or Myspace
Gay terrorist intimidation.
That pizza place is right! No matter whether it’s a wedding or whatever it is ... they should not be forced to do business with people because of the business owner’s deeply-held religious beliefs!
Well, to tell you what I’ve thought about this legislation, all along, is that it’s the “gay issue” that brought it out ... BUT ... it’s not JUST about gays, but preventing Christian business owners from being forced into do several things that they consider to be VIOLATIONS of deeply-held religious convictions!
I posted elsewhere ...
— — —
To me, this kind of legislation seems to have a lot more to do with OTHER THINGS, other than gays. It seems that the “gay issue” is driving the discussion, but to me, that “gay issue” seems to be a minor point, as compared to ALL of what legislation guaranteeing “Christian Conscience” in business is about.
Unless I’m mistaken about what this kind of bill means, I see this bill as preserving the “conscience” of a Christian owner of a business from serving or doing business with a person who violates that “religious conscience” by who they are or what they represent or what they stand for. SO, in that sense, it is NOT TARGETED at gays, but all sorts of other things that would violate the “Christian’s conscience”!
A sampling of some other things I can think of, in which one would DENY SERVICE to people, would be a group coming in for Pizza who supports ABORTION! That would really violate a Christian’s conscience.
Or, if a Mormon church group came in and had an “after church Pizza gathering” some Sunday afternoon. I would DENY THEM SERVICE as they are one of the largest CULT GROUPS in America ... and as far as I’m concerned Mormons shouldn’t get service from ANY CHRISTIAN BUSINESS WHATSOEVER, ANYWHERE!!
If Mitt Romney were to come in to that Pizza place he SHOULD BE DENIED SERVICE because of clearly being a Mormon!
I would DENY SERVICE to GLENN BECK, too, for his Mormonism!
SO ... it doesn’t appear to be a “gay issue” but a VERY REAL “Religious Conscience” issue and opens the door to CHRISTIAN BUSINESS to serving Christians and not VIOLATING their religious conscience!
Hey, order pizzas for some other reason but, going after a business and destroying the livelyhood of employees demonstrates you are a selfish and for your own ascencion a vindictive ass.
Nevermind that more than half the states have similar laws and the U.S. Government does as well, signed Bill Clinton in 1993.
There are 21 states that have a version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act enacted by their legislature:
Alabama (state constitution amendment)[22][23]
Arizona[24]
Arkansas[25]
Connecticut[26]
Florida[26]
Idaho[26]
Illinois[26]
Indiana[27]
Kansas[26]
Kentucky[28]
Louisiana[26]
Mississippi[29][30]
Missouri[26]
New Mexico[26]
Oklahoma[24]
Pennsylvania[26]
Rhode Island[26]
South Carolina[26]
Tennessee[26]
Texas[26]
Virginia[26]
If states with RFRA-like provisions that have been provided by state court decisions—rather than via legislation—are included, the list also contains:[31]
Alaska
Hawaii
Ohio
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Montana
North Carolina
Washington
Wisconsin
This is about destroying Christianity. When some towelheads use the law to refuse service to Christians, there will be NO outrage. Instead they will condemn the Christians.
I’d love to see them go after the people posting graphic images on harassment charges.
This is just simply the internet-age equivalent of mob rule. Nothing more, nothing less.
...
Their Internet presence isn’t that important. How is there business doing? I bet it will be better than ever.
Virtual Kristallnacht. The real thing appears to be coming as well.
What if they were and Islamic Pizza place and had the same views?.....................hmmmmm?..............
I can't WAIT till American Muslims start applying Sharia law to the homos.
It will be to laugh.
Did not read the story, but as a father working with his daughter to plan her wedding, I never would have considered a pizza shop as caterer. I guess I need to lower my standards. I am sure it would be lower than the prices getting tossed my way.
If I lived anywhere near Walkerton, IN, I’d be bringing my whole family in for pizza tonight.
“Virtual Kristallnacht. The real thing appears to be coming as well”
Fortunately unlike the Jews, conservatives are pretty well armed.
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